Home / Wages / Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau salaries The median worker in the Cape Girardeau, MO-IL metro area earned $42,060 a year in 2024, about $20.22 an hour. That ranks #328 of the 391 metro areas published here, 15% below the national median.
Missouri Illinois
Median pay $42,060 $20.22 per hour
Vs national -15% U.S. $49,500
Workers 44,760 wage and salary
Metro rank #328 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Cape Girardeau pays 9.3% less than Missouri as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Cooks, Fast Food 5.24× 1,020 $28,220 Registered Nurses 1.6× 1,520 $79,490 Nursing Assistants 1.56× 630 $35,700 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 1.51× 600 $25,580 Cashiers 1.46× 1,340 $28,180 General and Operations Managers 1.38× 1,430 $71,650 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 1.23× 1,420 $30,610 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 1.2× 720 $49,640 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 1.19× 600 $36,600 Stockers and Order Fillers 1.19× 960 $34,580 Waiters and Waitresses 1.18× 790 $25,720 Office Clerks, General 1.17× 850 $38,350
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Cape Girardeau Occupation Median Hourly Employed Medical and Health Services Managers $103,280 $49.65 260 Registered Nurses $79,490 $38.22 1,520 General and Operations Managers $71,650 $34.45 1,430 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $63,550 $30.55 240 Accountants and Auditors $62,690 $30.14 270 Carpenters $62,100 $29.86 210 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $59,030 $28.38 340 Human Resources Specialists $58,060 $27.91 220 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $57,840 $27.81 350 Construction Laborers $55,430 $26.65 210 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $51,280 $24.65 400 Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors $50,020 $24.05 210 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $49,640 $23.87 720 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $47,580 $22.88 470 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $46,410 n/a 300 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $45,870 $22.05 330 Child, Family, and School Social Workers $45,440 $21.85 200 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $43,760 $21.04 350 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $43,570 $20.95 370 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $41,000 $19.71 240 Office Clerks, General $38,350 $18.44 850 Customer Service Representatives $37,080 $17.83 670 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $36,870 $17.72 260 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $36,770 $17.68 590 Pharmacy Technicians $36,610 $17.60 220 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $36,600 $17.60 600 Medical Assistants $35,980 $17.30 370 Nursing Assistants $35,700 $17.17 630 Light Truck Drivers $35,610 $17.12 240 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $35,600 $17.11 420 Stockers and Order Fillers $34,580 $16.62 960 Receptionists and Information Clerks $34,170 $16.43 400 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $32,990 $15.86 490 Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria $31,810 $15.29 200 Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $30,940 $14.88 300 Home Health and Personal Care Aides $30,610 $14.71 1,420 Cooks, Restaurant $29,300 $14.09 490 Retail Salespersons $29,160 $14.02 1,270 Fast Food and Counter Workers $28,340 $13.62 560 Food Preparation Workers $28,300 $13.61 240 Cooks, Fast Food $28,220 $13.57 1,020 Cashiers $28,180 $13.55 1,340 Bartenders $27,030 $13.00 250 Waiters and Waitresses $25,720 $12.37 790 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $25,580 n/a 600
Where most people work Largest occupations in Cape Girardeau by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Registered Nurses 1,520 $79,490 $38.22 General and Operations Managers 1,430 $71,650 $34.45 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 1,420 $30,610 $14.71 Cashiers 1,340 $28,180 $13.55 Retail Salespersons 1,270 $29,160 $14.02 Cooks, Fast Food 1,020 $28,220 $13.57 Stockers and Order Fillers 960 $34,580 $16.62 Office Clerks, General 850 $38,350 $18.44 Waiters and Waitresses 790 $25,720 $12.37 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 720 $49,640 $23.87 Customer Service Representatives 670 $37,080 $17.83 Nursing Assistants 630 $35,700 $17.17 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 600 $25,580 n/a Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 600 $36,600 $17.60 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 590 $36,770 $17.68 Fast Food and Counter Workers 560 $28,340 $13.62 Cooks, Restaurant 490 $29,300 $14.09 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 490 $32,990 $15.86 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 470 $47,580 $22.88 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 420 $35,600 $17.11
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other Missouri metro areas Kansas City 1,093,430 workers $49,480 St. Louis 1,339,700 workers $48,290 St. Joseph 53,880 workers $46,420 Columbia 105,740 workers $45,670 Jefferson City 78,020 workers $45,440 Springfield 222,150 workers $44,110 Cape Girardeau pay: common questions What is the average salary in Cape Girardeau? The median across all occupations is $42,060 , or $20.22 an hour, covering 44,760 wage and salary workers. The mean is $54,560, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Cape Girardeau pay more than the rest of Missouri? No. The metro median of $42,060 is 9.3% below the Missouri median of $46,390. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Cape Girardeau? Medical and Health Services Managers ($103,280), Registered Nurses ($79,490), General and Operations Managers ($71,650). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Cape Girardeau unusually full of? Cooks, Fast Food, at 5.24× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.